Aggies continue reaping benefits of new SEC union

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M officially hooked up with the Southeastern Conference last July, and the Aggies’ new union continues to look like a smart move.

The SEC on Thursday announced its new SEC Network, which will launch in August 2014 and includes a 20-year agreement with ESPN through 2034. The new network, which will be based in Charlotte, N.C., already has a distributor in AT&T Uverse. It will show about 45 SEC football games and at least twice as many men’s basketball games, along with 60 women’s games and 75 baseball games.

“This is not a regional network,” ESPN president John Skipper said. “This is a national network.”

SEC commissioner Mike Slive didn’t disclose the financial terms of the new deal, although he said at the beginning of the gathering, “Today, we take another step to ensure the long-term strength of the conference.”

There will be 1,000 live events on the network annually, fairly evenly split between TV (450) and digital distribution (550).

“There will be something for every SEC fan all of the time,” Slive said.

Said A&M athletic director Eric Hyman, “What’s particularly exciting is the investment in new technology, which will bring the SEC to the entire nation anywhere, anytime.”

Football coach Kevin Sumlin and track coach Pat Henry represented A&M at the SEC Network announcement in Atlanta. While ESPN has an office in Charlotte, the city is still an interesting choice because no SEC schools reside in that state (at least for now).